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Drawing of the exterior of Fort Nisqually.
Drawing by Norman Edson. MSCUA, University of Washington Libraries NA4130 |
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In 1833 the Hudson’s Bay Company built an outpost on the beach north of the Nisqually River on Segualitchew Creek, near the present-day town of Dupont. They named it Fort Nisqually. Fort Nisqually was never used for military purposes, only for trading. In 1839 Fort Nisqually became a site for the Puget’s Sound Agricultural Company, a branch of the Hudson’s Bay Company. |
The men at Fort Nisqually raised crops and tended livestock. The land wasn’t very good for growing crops, but was good for grazing cattle and sheep. Soon Fort Nisqually was shipping salted beef, hides, tallow and wool to London, Mexican-owned California, Hawaii, the Russians in Alaska, Asia, as well as other HBC forts in the Pacific Northwest.
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Dr. Tolmie, Chief Factor of Fort Nisqually
MSCUA, University of
Washington Libraries |
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When the Tumwater pioneers arrived at the falls of the Deschutes River in 1845, they were hungry, exhausted, and nearly out of supplies. They didn’t even have money to buy goods at Fort Nisqually. Luckily, John McLoughlin at Fort Vancouver, chief factor of HBC operations, directed the overseer at Fort Nisqually, Dr. William Tolmie, gave them credit for food and tools to survive the first winter. He allowed them to work off their debt by making wooden shingles. The settlers split hundreds of thousands of shingles from cedar logs! |
Dr. John McLoughlin, Chief Factor of HBC operations in the Northwest.
Photo courtesy of the Oregon State Archives. |
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 CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF SUPPLIES PURCHASED BY THE PIONEERS FROM FORT NISQUALLY |
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